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Hew Locke, Tate, 2015

Posted by Tate Shop

14 May, 2020

Hew Locke, Tate, 2015

US$2,449.27

**Hew Locke**
_Tate_, 2015
Medium: Cut and engraved brass, polished and aged with mounted giclee print
Dimensions: 40.6 x 39.2 x 1.2 cm
Edition of 20
Accompanied by a signed and numbered certificate
Produced with Book works, London

The limited edition artwork _Tate_, 2015 by Hew Locke accompanies the exhibition _Artist & Empire_ at Tate Britain.

For over a decade Hew Locke has been interrogating the idea of the Hero, as manifested in the thousands of public statues scattered around our towns, creating work he has described as "mindful vandalism".

In this work Locke layers brass engraved sugar cubes and sugar cane onto a bust of Henry Tate. A bust he passes everyday outside Brixton Library, one of several Tate libraries built by Henry Tate in south London. Tate also built Tate Britain, endowed it with his personal collection, and presented it to the nation. These are libraries and galleries that Locke makes use of today.

Tate was a Liverpudlian grocer and Unitarian who became a partner in a local sugar refinery in 1859\\. In 1872 he purchased the patent for producing sugar cubes. With this and other new technologies his business expanded, and he rapidly became a millionaire, donating generously to educational and health charities in Britain.

Tate's business was founded after the abolition of the British slave trade, but the sugar trade itself was originally created and flourished under slavery, and later sustained by indentured labour. Sugar plantations to this day are physically harsh and labour-intensive businesses.

Locke has created one of his trademark assemblages, glittering, decorative, and yet reflective of his own complex relationship with the history of Henry Tate.

Locke was born in Edinburgh in 1959; lived from 1966 to 1980 in Georgetown, Guyana; and is currently based in London. He obtained a B.A. Fine Art at The Falmouth School of Art (1988) and an M.A. Sculpture at the Royal College of Art, London (1994). In 2000 he won both a _Paul Hamlyn Award_ and _The East International Award_.

Locke explores the subject of power, particularly through the representation of royal portraiture, coats-of-arms, public statuary, trophies, company share certificates, weaponry and costume. In his early works, Locke began to see the Queen's official portrait as a vehicle through which he confronted and evaluated his experiences of growing up. With this subject, his work began to engage with the embodiment of power, building amalgamations between different cultures and colonial histories. Successfully merging influences from both Guyanese and British cultures, Locke delves deeply into the history behind the subject matters and objects involved in his works. Unifying this knowledge with his creative vision, he creates pieces that stand on a crossroad of cultures, mediums and historic references.

Locke's works have been included in _The Guangzhou Triennial_, China (2008), _The Thessaloniki Biennale_, Greece (2009), _The San Juan Triennale_, Puerto Rico (2009), _The Folkestone Triennial_ (2011), _The Kochi-Muziris Biennale_, India (2014) and _Prospect.3 Biennial_, New Orleans, USA (2014).

His solo shows include Atlanta Contemporary Arts (US) The Chisenhale Gallery (London), The New Art Gallery Walsall, Atlanta Contemporary Arts (US), The Luckman Gallery, Los Angeles (US) and Rivington Place (London).

Earlier this year his permanent sculpture _The Jurors_, was unveiled at Runnymede to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the signing of _Magna Carta_.

Locke's work is represented in many collections including the Arnold Lehman Collection (US), The Arts Council of England (UK), The British Museum (UK), The Brooklyn Museum (US), The Government Art Collection (UK), The Henry Moore Institute (UK), Kansas City Collection (US), Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art (US), The New Art Gallery (Walsall), Pérez Art Museum Miami (US), The RSID Museum (US), Tate Gallery (UK), Victoria & Albert Museum (UK).

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